VinDivine - Living it Up John & Janine Style

The best F'ing Steak Salad in all of SF!

Hey happy people! OK, I won't even pretend we haven't treated you like that skeedgy tramp Britney treats those two spawn of hers the past few weeks. What can I say? Nothing malicious here - JP's birthday bash, 1 week l8r our 12th Anny, 1 week after that my bday. Whew! It's not like we didn't eat. And drink. And drink. I just don't think we were fit to blog!

So who cares, anyway? If we get a flashback, we'll post it. Let's move on. Not dwell on the past. So first off we're sick of this sunny weather. No, we're not goth. We just WANT A SEASON. Is that too much to ask?! Anyway, we had a relatively meeting-free day today, which almost never-ever happens. I mean, with me {COMMERCIAL BREAK HERE} launching my new technology company, Andiamo Systems, which provides real-time, actionable, intuitive, affordable word of mouth measurement and brand monitoring, with a 14-day FREE TRIAL go check it out!! {end of shameless self promotion, that is so tacky} and Janine's company winning award upon award we got caught up in the moment. Yup, full full full of ourselves. LOL.

But we're back, as your humble Sherpas of all things wining and dining. And a little travel to boot. So without further adeiu:

Lark Creek Steak in the Westfield mall or whatever it's called, y'know that thing they worked on 4ever. Bloomingdales, Hugo Boss, all that. They have a Steak & Spinach Panzanella Salad that I would poke my best friend's eyes out for. I mean this is custom-made, FILET salad. Not some acky sirloin crap. And rare, if you have been reading. Why's it so lip-smackin' good?

Well, after being in the trenches, walking into this semi-boring atmosphere place is still, kinda, civil. Second, they have a good wine list - get the Provenence Suavignon Blanc! Thirdly, and the reason we've come outta hiding, is that goddamn steak salad is epic.  Order the steak as you want, made to order; loaded with beets, feta cheese, persimmon (ok, I had to refer back to the menu for that tidbit) radishes, steak, and oh yeah, some salad-stuff. Spinach I think. This salad is TOPS in SF. Go get it, it's even healthy! It does make for a $100 lunch if you go as a couple, embibe with 3 glasses o' vino (not for each of us, suckas, shared) and a coupla espressos and tip like a human, but WTF, treat y'selves right!

Then go get your nooner shopping groove on!

Lark Creek Steak
845 Market Street
(415) 593-4100

Perbacco - Downtown

So our friend Spencer, chef at Paragon, turned us onto this cool place so Janine and I hit it on date night. Located in the financial district (do people really call it the FiDi!?) in the old Gold Coast space (yeah, we never went there either) next to Tadich. We love love love Italian food, really just about anything Italy, and frankly have just burnt out on most of our regulars, so we were really lookin' forward to finding a new fave. The space is great, large but situated well enough to seem almost intimate (but when your chick is as hot as mine, a Denny's can seem pretty hot). Contemporary but not hip, some exposed brick, oak drop ceilings in some areas, and a nice bar, which is where we're gonna saddle up to and eat next time around.

... ...OK, I can almost smell your desperate anticipation. "So, is it a new fave, VinDivine? Is it? Is it?! Tell me - we need to eat!"

OK, especially since we have been pretty lame lately about posting, I'll cut to the chase:

An 8 outta 10. And that means it's darn tasty vittles, a great space, and good service. Oh yeah, good wine list too. We'll see what that nimrod Michael Bauer says, his review comes out this weekend. Will we finally agree on something?

The menu: itsa solid
• Good bread sticks! Thin, slightly crispy but slightly chewy all at once. And not 'cuz they were stale, like bar bread sticks:) How do they do it?! 
• 3-4 sushi appetizers (didn't get to them this time around, and I don't go to Italian places for raw fish)
• SALAMI! House-made salami. This guy buys whole pigs and just goes to town..."Come and meet my little friend". I didn't think I even liked Salami, but both the Fennel, and Garlic & Black Pepper rocked. Very thinly sliced, subtle, fresh, melt-in-your-mouth  salami. mmm mmm. Try the sampler plate
• Appy menu is pretty good, lots of variance. The Burrata Cheese with Black truffle Salsa, Arugula and Filone was OTH in our opinion. Burrata is kinda like Bufala Mozzarella in a way, very tender but with a firm, thin skin, and the salsa was a great touch. The Carne Cruda of Vitellone (aka Carpaccio) was tender young beef, super-thin with lemon and olive oil.
• The Best Part: The PASTA MENU. Gigidy. Great selection and choice of 1/2 or full portions. I looove that. Lets grazers like us try lotsa pasta. The Tajarin - super-thin tagliatelle, ramen-like with all-day  cooked pig 'sugo' and porcini mushrooms. (I guess what doesn't go into the house-made salami goes here). Pappardelle with braised short rib ragu and chantrelles . About the only 'so-so' dish was the Pansotti with Ricotta, chard, herbs and walnut butter.   
• The Main Courses, we didn't even deal with. They looked OK, but after that Pasta menu fuggetaboutit. Monkfish, Sea Bass, Chicken, Quail, Short Ribs, Sirloin. Oh yeah, DITCH THE SKATE WING! I despise that fish. Sorry, I'll quit shouting.
• Dessert Menu: Same thing, my friends. Comin' off of the holidays the last thing we need is more sugar, spice and everything nice. The cheese did look better than the desserts, to me at least.
• The lista del vino is also tight. Nice range of by-the-glass and bottles from Italia and beyond

The service was good too. Our server, Kristy, was kinda spacey but very sweet, and the food all arrived perfectly timed, one dish at a time. And a bonus, the owner, Umberto, is a really nice guy. What are ya waitin' for? Andiamo!

Perbacco
230 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.955.0663

Cortez Restaurant - Downtown

The tag line for Cortez should read 'Where the dishes are small...but we make up for it with the bill'. Sure, I get the occasional Cheap Attack, but for the most part I'm willing to cough up the cash for a good meal and a fun time. But after a couple gos at Cortez, I gotta wonder what all the buzz is about:

• This wannabe Mondrian design. Either DO IT RIGHT or move on
• Hey the food is fine but $12-14 for a puny Beet Salad?
• The grilled prawns on 'crab rice grits' were pretty damn good. Grits. Umm. $15? Hmm.
• Hangar Steak. Pretty good. We asked for it rare, and they seemed to get it. Not raw (like Bleu), and not typical U.S. rare, meaning medium rare. Pretty good. Ooops, I already said that. Kinda tiny though! Wouldn't kill ya to add an ounce or two.
• The Ricotta Raviolis were our faves. Tender little numbers with baby shitakes and Parmesan.
• Like fools we missed the fries which I hear are f'ing AWESOME. So if ya go, give 'em a try and let us know!

Cortez Restaurant
550 Geary St
San Francisco, 94102
(415) 292-6360

Plouf - Downtown

You up for a snooty French place? You game for spending lunch or dinner eating some good French grub feeling like you're right in the heart of Paris? Want some waiters in French getups to be rude to you?

Then Plouf is your answer baby! It's not pluff, it's not plowf, it's ploof. Froofy huh? All said, it's one of the best outdoor french experiences in town.

You like the oysters and the clams? Here they're the specialty of the house. We've seen so many slimey steamers shucked and sucked silly, seems like they're slammin'. Sorry! (Alliteration is fun!)

The nicoise salad is OTH and it should be, right? Hericot vert, tuna tartare and duck confit...a must. It's a french place fortheluvagod.

Also on the alley:  Voda, Tiramisu, Cafe Bastille, B44.

Plouf
40 Belden Place
San Francisco, CA 94104

B44 - Downtown

Ah the alley, we LOVE it. I think we went every day for lunch in the Dot Com days. Belden Alley is what I'm talking about. On a sunny day, it's the BEST place to go for lunch. It's like those Euro bistros where you walk by and the smiling hosts beg you to come in. Man we miss Europe.

It's also the place you CANNOT WALK down during Bastille Day. You know that celebration the French have where they party for independence. Nothing like a good festival where the French get sloshed, eat crepes and fall all over each other. It's a beautiful thang.

Back to B44, which has nothing to do with French food by the way, it's all about Paella which is freakin' amazing - 9 different kinds to be clear. Close your eyes and your sittin' on Las Ramblas in Barthelona sluggin' down some fresh sangria. One thing? You won't find tapas here, full plates of good stuff.

The skirt steak salad? Superb. I don't do the squid, the octopus, or the sardines, but if that's your thing we hear this is the place. Like fresh fish? Get ANY of it here, it's awesome! One more thing, the vino, great list of Spanish wines if you like em' tempranillos... mmmmm.

The tables? In traditional Euro fashion RIGHT on top of each other. Oh the conversations you hear! We heard one couple talkin' about some things they shouldn't have. Hey! Lower your voice if you're gonna talk about the hot monkey love you had the night before, please people, we're eating!

Also on Belden Alley, Voda, Café Bastille, Tiramisu, Plouf.

B44
44 Belden Place
San Francisco, CA 94104
415-986-6287

Rubicon - Downtown

Ok, how the hell can you go wrong with a restaurant owned in part by the following:

• Robert DeNiro (You talkin' to me?)
• Robin Williams (Only saw LIVE 11 times so far and go to Bimbos to see him practice whenever he is there.)
• Francis Ford Coppola (OK, director of our favorite movie of all time, GF 1 and 2 to be clear)
• Drew Nieporent (the guy who actually has to KNOW something about running many restaurants with all of these superstars around)

You can't. And that's why we have Rubicon. One of MANY fab restaurants owned by this amazing group. (Tribeca Grill and Nobu too? Rubicon is a brother in this family of excellence.) If we were to consistently say, for overall food in this great city, what our two faves, among faves, are this is definitely one of them. We won't tell you the other...yet.

Expensive? YES. And worth every damn penny. Oysters, if you're into it, not to be beat. Scallops here are pretty freakin' good and "if" they have any kind of filet, you must, must get it. It's good. Almost all of the fish they have is pretty nuts in a good way, and if they do have the Polenta and Wild Mushroom Cannelloni in pumpkin sauce? Well, need we say more? These guys are also know for their Braised Beef Short rib so if you're into it, this is the place! Bravo Chef Stuart Brioza, all those big names...we know who does the work:-)

I must say, at lunch if they have the grilled cheese, you must get it. It's usually got all kinds of crazy stuff on it. Not your Ma's velveeta number.

The wine? Crazy! Larry Stone, Ex-Sommelier (But left for good reason. He's now making his own wine, we can't wait Larry!) left behind him a superb list. HUGE selection of imported and local. With Coppola on the board, you know it's gonna be a good listo de vino. Boy did we spend some bucks here in the Dot Com.

Is this a hang out place? No. It's a place you go to impress, so bring your cash or your black AMEX, and get ready to spend, and be spent, cuz the portions are NOT tiny and neither will your bill be :-)

Rubicon
558 Sacramento St.
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 434-4100

Aqua - Downtown

Aqua really pioneered the crap outta the prix fixe menu here in SF back in 2001. And no one better to do it than Michael Mina. But alas, in 2002 he left to start his own gig with Andre Agassi, that's right. That badass tennis player we all love. Who is making Aqua swim these days? Laurent Manrique, he used to work back in Paris at this awesome place we used to go to Taillevent. And man he can whip up some grub! This guy is so good he's even making his own vino!

On to the food: Someone at your table HAS to order the Tuna Tartare. Schmantzy and prepared at the table with the egg thing goin' on. Ya got yer Fois Gras, yer Caviar, not into it. Go for the Dayboat Scallop, no plural on that one.

Then, you cannot go wrong with the Yellowfin Tuna, the Alaskan Black Cod, or the Scottish Salmon ...mmmmmm. Then get absolutely ANYTHING on the dessert menu! Want to strap a feed bag to your face? Go for the tasting menu, tiny plates but f'ing good!

Their wine encyclopedia is too big for words so I'll just say, they got it covered.

Oh and this same group owns C&L Steakhouse, Cafe de la Press, and Pices in Burlingame.

Aqua Restaurant
252 California St.
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415)956-9662

Michael Mina - Union Square

We hate you, Michael Mina! That's right. We ignored you for the first 12 months after you opened, just to knock you down a  couple notches from  your pedestal. And you noticed, didn't you MM? Hmmm? But you know what, you cheeky little bastard? You win. Apart from the 'this is exactly the stuffy , oh-so sophisticated place my rich daddy and mum would enjoy' to the 'OK, you better call Visa to bump up your credit limit' or 'I better sell a kid to pay the bill' issues, MM delivers coming and going. F'ing flawless. And it better be, at about $500 for 2. Five hundy and J&J weren't even knockin' 'em back like usual. We were...sophisticated so to speak. A glass of bubbly to start (a mighty Krug for moi, Billecart Salmon for Janine), a (yes ONE only!) glass of Burgundy ($25 a pop) with the meal, and a dessert wine to finish. Nice wine selection overall. Decent by the glass, biblical by the bottle.

OK, on the the grub - for the most part this is a three-course Prix Fixe deal.

Course #1:  We enjoyed Ahi and Lobster. The Ahi Tuna Tartare was excellent, and they didn't scrimp. Came with Scotch Bonnet Pepper, Bosc Pear, & Sesame Oil and neat little toast triangles. The Lobster was flat OTT. Butter Poached Maine Lobster, to be exact. Nice plump little number, sitting atop a delicate Vanilla Sweet Potato Crêpe and swimming in a Thai Coconut Reduction. The combo of sweet and spicy was tres' y-u-m-m-y.

Halftime report! Gotta tell you kids, we had been hitting the bread and butter like two homeless people 'cuz we figured we'd need a microscope and tweezers to actually eat the portions. I had talked to a woman a few months ago that said she and her boyfriend had eaten at MM, then gone to Frisson for another meal. Whoa, Mama Cass! We stand corrected. For that 500 bones you actually  leave full. 

Course #2: Lots to choose from, but our server (who was very good) told us there were only 3 portions of Prime Rib left, so our greed set it and we pounced. I mean, it's a little tough to come to a shwank place like MM and not get a dish a little more exotic, but being at Michael Mina we figured this wasn't going to be your daddy's prime rib. Or even like the House of Prime Rib. And bingo, we were right.

Six Hour Butter Poached Prime Rib (for two). So ya both better be carnivores. Done rare, carved at tableside. never had a Prime Rib like it. Accompanied by really good creamed spinach and potatoes done 3 ways - horseradish mashed, au gratin, and and...wait for it...TRUFFLE FRIES. Yeah, baby!

We couldn't even finish all of this course. MM, you were getting more respect with each course.

Course #3 - Dessert of course, my fat little friends. Root Beer Float with Warm Choco-chip Cookies. House-made root beer, with root beer and vanilla ice cream and a chocolate swizzle stick type of thing. AND fresh, warm, chocolate-oozing cookies. Whoa. I really think we were both so stuffed at this point we were in some type of stupor. But y'know what? We finished every last bit! We were happy we didn't go for the Chocolate Trio  (Peanut Butter Pudding Cake, Peanut Butter Shake; Banana Bread Pudding, Banana Pot de Creme; Devil's Food Cake, Caramel Sundae) for the second dessert and went with the Artisan Cheese Plate instead. What can I say - it's not like Danko's cheese plate but at this point we were both about ready to  pop anyway  so it was dandy. We'd recommend sticking with the 'real' desserts though.

Bottom line, since I have yammered on quite a bit here - this is NOT a first date place. You better already know you're gonna get action after shelling out five large, am I right? Anyhoo - the food, service and wine list ROCKS. A 9 outta 10, easy. The atmosphere is a bit 'your grandma's living room' but what the hell, it's not like you can afford to come here often enough to get sick of it!

Michael Mina
Westin St. Francis Hotel
335 Powell St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 397-9222

 

Colibri Mexican Bistro - Downtown

Dig it! We needed a place like this downtown...authentic Spanish food, but not too fancy-shmancy. The name says it all, a bistro - comfortable, casual but with some class.

Everything we noshed on recently was great - the warm tortillas and salsa they give gratis, Tamales Oaxaqueños (really chicken tamales w/ mole sauce), Quesadillas de rajas con queso o de epazote (corn tortillas w/ yummy traditional Oaxaca cheese & roasted poblano chiles), Mole poblano (a melenge of chiles, nuts & a little chocolate made into a sauce and served over chicken)...all lip-smakin' good. We're not fans of the avocado (slimy, green and full of fat) but the tableside-made fresh guac even looked tempting to us. Definitely try it if you're into that stuff.

Good tequila selection, and (listen up Tres Agaves!) they even put tequila in their margaritas! Bravo.

We sat at - shocker! -the bar, and the service was super and friendly. Looked like the tables got pretty good service as well.

One slight knock - they say the decor matches that found in cantinas in Mexico City in the early 1900s...well, if you count a mix of Denny's & Z Gallerie as authentic 1900's Mexico City then I guess they nailed it. But really who the hell cares when everything else is so damn good?! So if you're bee-boppin' around downtown during and afternoon and just want a quick snack or drink, or want a great dinner spot definitely check this place out.

Colibri Mexican Bistro
438 Geary St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 440-2737

Myth - Downtown

Our studly single friend (Ladies!) Loren introduced us to this place. The decor is very cool and the food is very good. We were able to get a last minute resie which is not the norm. This place packs them IN. A great bar you can eat at but the dining room is rockin, open kitchen and comfy sofa like seats. Good for unbuttoning the trou at the end of the meal and swiggin' down some porto.

That said, food=good. Truffle mushroom risotto, seared scallops, and prawn cocktail pizza. I think we had two. All good and great for sharing.

Wine list? Glasses, half bottles, value bottles and tres expensive stuff. Funny thing is they had the $250 Pahlmeyer on the same page as the Value list. Made us laugh like the "Peanut butter and jelly" song did when Brian the dog sang it on Family Guy.

The decor? Big open brick warehouse chic with attitude. Although it seems like you could fit a crowd in the dining room, it only has about twenty tables so it's pretty intimate. We know cuz we sat next to a froofy guy with a British accent and a guy who was mesmerized by every "cool" thing he had to say. Let's just say "weird conversation". Ask us offline.

The waiter, David, who hails from Danko, came with the chef to this place a year ago and loves it. He was amazing. Get him.

Location: Jackson Square area. Valet.

Myth
470 Pacific Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 677-8986